The Vikings held on, 64-55, after the Falcons came within two just minutes before time expired. Bertie, with only one previous loss on the season, was undefeated at home this year before hosting Kinston.

“It’s a huge test,” Kinston coach Hubert Quinerly said of the contest. “We knew it was going to be a tough environment. It takes maturity, it takes leadership, and that’s one thing that we have. Even through the bad times, we still rally together and huddle up and become a team.

“We’re a team and that’s what teams do.”

After Tyessence Martin received a Bertie inbounds pass with 3:41 left in the game, she posted upher defender and dropped a turnaround jumper from the right wing to put the Falcons behind Kinston, 48-46. But Bertie’s score remained frozen for the next 1 minute and 30 seconds as Kinston stretched the lead to eight with 2:32 on the clock.

The Vikings (23-2) showed Bertie — one final time before escaping with the win — what happens when they beat you in transition. The Falcons left Kinston’sfront court unprotected, giving Anshonee Addison room for an easy layup.

Kinston went up, 54-46, on the play, scoring only its second field goal of the final quarter.

Bertie (25-2) trailed by as many as 16 in the second half before rallying down the stretch — but the Falcons’ effort wasn’t enough, even after outscoring Kinston, 24-19, in the last frame.

The Vikings fought back; they wanted badly to return to Fayetteville.

“We let down, but we kept our heads up,” Kinston’s senior guard Brittany Drumgoole said. “We don’t break under pressure. (Bertie’s atmosphere) is something we’ve already seen before. We wanted to get back to regionals, so we know what we have to do.”

Kinston took advantage of Bertie’s poorfirst-half shooting by separating from the Falcons early. Bertie went five-of-28 (18 percent) from the field to open the game, allowing Kinston the 32-17 halftime lead.

The Vikings’ Lydia Rivers led in scoring at the break, finishing with a game-high 20 points and team-high nine rebounds. She also had four blocked shots.

The Falcons caught on to the low post threat early, awarding Rivers 13 free throw attempts. She knocked down 10. Kinston’s Shika Mason, with 13 made free throws of her own, had 17 points.

Kinston found other ways to score and spread out Bertie’s defense after the Falcons tried to contain Rivers. The Vikes swung the ball around the perimeter minutes before halftime, landing on an open Addison who quickly drilled a corner 3 to strengthen Kinston’s lead.

The Vikings actually made two fewer shots from the field than Bertie Friday night, but Kinston shot 29-for-40 as a team from the free throw line.